Taigun And Kushaq - The Newest Badge-engineered Siblings On The Block

The Taigun and Kushaq are the newest badge-engineered siblings on the block, but how different are they really?

- Rivan RS

Badge-engineering isn’t a new concept, and there’s no denying it makes good financial sense for companies operating under a common umbrella. The downside is that badge-engineered cars are sometimes so alike that they end up cannibalising each other’s sales. The Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq are the latest examples of badge-engineering in the our market, and though they look unique, there are many mechanical and structural components that are shared between the two Hyundai Creta rivals. Both midsize SUVs also target the same customers — those looking for a fun-to-drive alternative to the Kia Seltos and others of its ilk. In order to find out just how much of an overlap there is between the two, we got the 1.0-litre automatic versions of the Taigun and Kushaq together and let them have it out.

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Although the SUVs share the India-specific MQB-A0-IN platform, there’s no mistaking one for the other. As I had mentioned when I first drove the Taigun, it looks typically VW — solid, clean and understated (except for the excess of chrome on the bumpers), yet muscular. The lines flow nicely along the sides, the VW’s alloys invoke a sense of speed and then you come to the rear, which is very slick indeed. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — the LED bar that runs across the tailgate and connects the tail-lights is stunning, especially when lit up.